BSD Vs. Linux - What you did not Know

While there's overwhelming similarity between the operating systems in most cases, there are also a lot of differences. As you probe more into the differences, you find that they emerge from deep-seated disagreements.

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New Ubuntu team to focus on desktop effects a la XGL, AIGLX

Mark Shuttleworth says he's "pleased to see John Vivirito announcing a desktop-effects team for Ubuntu, that will focus on the integration of 3D technology into the desktop like Xgl, Compiz and AIGLX."

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An even better BitTorrent client for Linux!

Well, after all the problems with Transmission and popular trackers like OiNK and Demonoid I decided to try something else. I tried out Tribler, but it wasn't that good, so after snooping around the Ubuntu forums I found about this relatively new client called qBittorrent. At first I refused to use it, as I don't like running Qt apps under Gnome, but after searching some more, and not finding anything better I decided to go for it.

The client is way better than anything I've used before. It even has an inbuilt torrent search plugin, like the famous uTorrent on windows. It also has all the major features you may need/want from a mature client.

The good news is that it is actively developed, it has a very nice and fresh look, and there's official Ubuntu and Debian packages on the download page and last time I checked it was in the repositories. That's a lot to say, because we now have official support from the qBittorrent team when packages don't work, etc.

All in all, its the best client I've used so far. Try it out!

New Transmission package for Ubuntu

It's been quite a while since I wanted to upgrade Transmission and test the svn version, but Applecrow's download page gives a 404 error, so no svn debian package! So I thought I'd build one myself, and here it is, I give it to the world!

This package was built with the latest source tarball from Transmission's homepage using checkinstall. I need people to test it to see if it works properly.

The package installs Transmission to /opt/transmission

You might want to do this:

sudo ln -s /opt/transmission/bin/transmission-gtk /usr/bin/transmission-gtk

This will enable you to run Transmission by just typing 'transmission-gtk' into the terminal (without the quotes).

Download the package! - NOTE: A new package is already available, check the newer posts.

P.S. I need better hosting, if anyone can provide it please leave a comment with more info. Thanks!

Free Linux Disks needs your support!

The folks at FreeLinuxDisk have 20,000 orders to fulfill with an additional 60-100 requests a day. To fulfill the orders in a timely fashion they have to buy an automated CD duplication machine ($4500 CDN). The goal is to raise $4,500 to purchase "Big Daddy Tux" in order to meet with the ongoing demand for Linux disks. Show them your support!

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Free Linux Disks Delivers First Shipment

It is with great delight that I announce the first bulk shipment of free Linux disks from the Free Linux Disk project. This would not have been made possible without support from the contributors, the sponsors, and your donations. A huge thank you to everyone that continues to help and make the project a success.

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How to get the latest compiz packages on Ubuntu

It's really simple, actually. First you'll backup your sources.list file to be on the safe side, so do:

sudo cp -v /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list-backup

Now we'll edit the file:

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

At the end of the file add one of these lines:

deb http://www.beerorkid.com/compiz dapper main
deb http://media.blutkind.org/xgl/ dapper main
deb http://ubuntu.compiz.net/ dapper main

Next you need to add the public key of the repository you chose, so run one of these commands:

wget http://www.beerorkid.com/compiz/quinn.key.asc -O - | sudo apt-key add -
wget http://media.blutkind.org/xgl/quinn.key.asc -O - | sudo apt-key add -
wget http://ubuntu.compiz.net/quinn.key.asc -O - | sudo apt-key add -

Now do:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Now all your compiz packages should be updated to their latest version. If you want to do it the graphical way, after doing the apt update go to System > Administration > Update Manager and it will list the available compiz updates, along with any other updates your system may require.

Also, if you installed XGL/Compiz following the Ubuntu Guide instructions, you may need to install cgwd, which is the windowd decorator recommended for compiz. So do this:

sudo apt-get install cgwd cgwd-themes gnome-compiz-manager

Gnome-compiz-manager is a graphical configuration tool for compiz, which allows to set how many virtual desktops you want, enable or disable effects, etc.

Cgwd-themes is a theme pack for cgwd.

Also, if you start compiz with /usr/bin/thefuture you need to edit it, because gnome-window-decorator is obsolete now.

Make it look like this:

#!/bin/bash

cgwd & compiz --replace gconf decoration wobbly fade minimize cube rotate zoom scale move resize place switcher &
xmodmap /usr/share/xmodmap/xmodmap.us

Remember to set the appropiate xmodmap!

UPDATE: The latest updates change the way Compiz starts and the thefuture script is no longer usefull.

To start Compiz add the following line to the 'Startup Programs' in System > Preferences > Sessions:

/usr/bin/compiz-start

And don't forget to remove the thefuture script from there too!

That's all, I hope this is usefull.